Winter storm hits Hamilton’s homeless tent dwellers hard

The full weight of winter is bearing down on Chantel Lane's life in a Hamilton park.

It caved in her small tent during a relentless snowstorm that started walloping the city Sunday night.

I tried to fix it, but the amount of snow just kept making it collapse, so I gave up," Lane said Monday afternoon.

The 22-year-old is one of roughly 30 to 35 people the city knows to be living outside as shelters fill to capacity and struggle with coronavirus outbreaks.

Lane, who first pitched her tent in August, said she has used a propane-fuelled heater to try to stay warm in the cold weather.

Some nights, I do go freezing cold because I don't have money to go and buy propane tanks," she said from inside her sagging tent.

When the temperature dips below -15 C or feels like -20 with the wind chill, the city's medical officer of health issues a cold alert.

That happened Friday, triggering as series of protocols to offer people respite from the cold, including the opening of warming centres at recreation centres.

But that response was cancelled Sunday morning, when the temperature rose above the threshold - despite a forecast that predicted a massive snowstorm would hit Hamilton.

It frustrates me," Marcie McIlveen, an outreach worker who regularly offers care for people living outside in Hamilton, said Monday.

The rigidity of the cold alert policy makes little sense to her: Even if it's not -15 C, it can still be freezing outside.

They should change it," McIlveen said.

Dr. Claire Bodkin, whose focus includes patients who are homeless, agreed there's a huge gap" that doesn't take storms into account.

In an email Monday, Edward John, the city's housing director, said the winter response would continue to evolve" and may involve additional options" beyond cold alerts.

But that depends on available resources such as staffing and funding, as the impacts of the (COVID-19) fourth wave lessen," Edward John added.

The shelter system - which already struggled with staffing shortages before the pandemic struck - has been hard hit by outbreaks driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

On Monday, the city listed 191 cases between 12 buildings and programs that serve people who are experiencing homelessness or domestic violence.

Throughout the pandemic, the city has invested in the temporary expansion of shelter and overflow spaces, and allocated funding to drop-in programs for meals, showers and harm-reduction supplies, John noted.

Rec centres closed when the cold alert was lifted, but the Hub, with city-promised funds, kept its doors open overnight, operator Jennifer Bonner noted.

Paid staff and peer-support workers at the Vine Street centre welcomed about 40 people a night Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., Bonner said.

Meanwhile, worried about those caught outside in the storm, Bodkin and McIlveen took to social media Sunday to raise cash to buy supplies for those still outside.

In short order, the community responded, surpassing their goal of $500, McIlveen said Monday.

With that, they stocked up - blankets, clothing, tarps, small heating devices for campers, food - and distributed the supplies to encampments across Hamilton.

The prompt response to the Twitter call-out restored" her faith in humanity," McIlveen said.

But it's frustrating more isn't being done at official levels to address the ongoing homelessness crisis, she added.

At the end of the day, someone's tent collapsed."

In the meantime, she invites anyone - including restaurants with food to donate - to offer their help via Twitter: @Marcie58632320.

Message me. I'll figure it out," she said.

Teviah Moro is a reporter at The Spectator. tmoro@thespec.com